Watchtower is quietly discontinuing a number of its well-known publications

The last time I ever set foot in the kingdom hall of an English-speaking congregation was in 2012. It was an excruciating experience.

I was fully awakened, and attended only in an ultimately-vain attempt to quiet some of the gossip already circulating that I was a dreaded “apostate.”

The gossip was merely a product of sincere, albeit ill-advised efforts on my part to reach out to a few old friends and explain the reasons for my inactivity. By that point I was already learning there is no graceful way to distance oneself from “Jehovah’s organization” without being subjected to relentless character assassination. The JW grapevine can be merciless.

One of the abiding memories of my final meeting was the congregation study of a newly-released book about Jeremiah. I recall feeling somewhat embarrassed as I was handed a copy on dad’s tablet so I could follow along. Using flashy technology in a meeting felt alien to me.

God’s Word for Us Through Jeremiah was released at the 2010 district (or “regional”) convention – the last convention I attended as a believing Witness. I confess to never giving the book more than a flick-through, because by that point my indoctrination was disintegrating rapidly.

But any lingering pangs of guilt at not giving the book a fair opportunity to impress are now fully vanquished.

A letter has recently been posted to kingdom hall noticeboards notifying Witnesses of a long list of publications that are either being completely discontinued, or will not be available in print for the foreseeable future.

One of the casualties of this purge is, you guessed it, the Jeremiah book. After less than six years, the book I never made time to read has been deemed surplus to requirements by the Governing Body itself.

I have already written extensively on the organization’s downsizing as Watchtower scrambles to shrink itself to proportions better suited to the internet age without too much fuss. But even I am surprised at the extent to which the organization is slashing its printing commitments.

It seems cutting magazine printing by 57% since 2005 simply isn’t enough. Now even books that were released as recently 2010 must be jettisoned from the printing roster for the organization to balance its books. ‘Spiritual food’ has never had such a short shelf life.

More predictable victims of this “old light” purge include the highly-discredited Creation book, the All Scripture Inspired book, the Kingdom Interlinear, the Comprehensive Concordance, the Insight volumes, and the demonstrably-ludicrous Revelation Climax book (which was never even made available on JW.org).

The Reasoning book is also finally being retired, having been a mainstay of any self-respecting publisher’s literature bag since 1985.

Even though certain features of the new 2013 revised New World Translation are reminiscent of the Reasoning book, they don’t come close to tackling the range of topics covered by the silver sword’s diminutive brown, hardcover predecessor. It seems the Watchtower of the 21st Century is no longer interested in “reasoning” with potential converts. Either you surrender your thinking faculties to the Governing Body, or you don’t.

More recent titles deemed surplus to requirements include both Isaiah’s Prophecy volumes (2000 and 2001), the Creator book (1998), the Jehovah’s Day book (2006), the Draw Close to Jehovah book (2002), the Daniel’s Prophecy book (1999), the Worship the Only True God book (2002), the Bearing Thorough Witness book (2009) and the Come Be My Follower book (2007). All of these titles are either permanently out of print, or Watchtower is ceasing printing and not making any promises about their return.

Some of the publications that are now out-of-print

Printing of these publications will cease, but Watchtower will notify publishers “if these items later become available”

Yes, I’m sure many of these titles will continue to be available in digital form, but the point is this: “spiritual food” once important enough to be printed in the form of books or brochures is now being consigned to digital purgatory, and all the evidence points to drastic cost-cutting as the main factor in this decision. The fact that these publications contain varying degrees of “old light” cannot be the only explanation.

The Reasoning Book, with its frank explanation of the 1914 “generation” teaching on page 200, was still in print and being widely circulated long after the Governing Body’s “overlapping generations” eureka moment.

So, if you happen to be a Jehovah’s Witness reading this, it is worth taking a moment to ponder the whole concept of spiritual food. If the material published by the ‘faithful slave’ is really new light from Jehovah, how is it so quickly deemed obsolete? Does the unending torrent of colorful shelf-fillers disgorged by “Jehovah’s organization” year after year, decade after decade, speak to genuine enlightenment – or a human organization that makes it all up as it goes along?

If nothing else, next time you find yourself in attendance when a new book or brochure is being released with much fanfare, you are well within your rights to ask: how long before some letter gets quietly posted to our congregation noticeboard consigning THIS ‘new light’ to Watchtower’s growing scrapheap?

– wow, that’s something to think about, all time spent studying and promoting “outdated/wrong” ) materials, just quick figured meetings and field service along with a couple of stints in special assignments, and and I’m up around 50000 hours, let’s see, maybe I did have time for a college education.

I remember 1 lie told by WT, that reading the “Awake!” mag for 7 years was the equivalent of a University education! What a freakin’ joke. Of course, I was young, & STUPID enough to believe it at the time (& brainwashed, needless to say).

As usual another great commentary by John Cedars, always enjoy reading his views on everything Watchtower!

As for the Watchtower Litera-trash being regarded as “college transferable credits”, how arrogant our former leaders were to push that pack of lies upon us! We all were told through Assembly propaganda parts our Watchtower Degree would get us jobs when others were unemployed!

Now as the begging of another Global Economic Slowdown and transition where most jobs Jehovah’s Witnesses do will end up becoming obsolete as i-Robot creates its own i-Window Washer, i-Janitor and i-Construction Cleanup.

In the United States some of the older JWs that worked for companies like UPS, United States Post Office and Fed Ex before it became separate from the Corp will get income in their old-age. What’s going to happen to all the Witnesses who worked-under-the-table?

Elders use to take older witnesses to the Social Security Administration to see what benefits they earned over the course of their life working. How said to see often they did not qualify for Social Security’s Pension side but the side of Social Security for people who did not work or were disabled! How’s that for a Organization?

The standard monthly allowance from the Public Dole was $890 last time I helped a JW sign up. This is why your seeing all those books disappear, all the Witnesses are not donating enough money and living from their Government Allowance many of them do not deserve!

“Watchtower Degree” – LOL
The only degree I got is the 1 I gave MYSELF when I “graduated”- LEFT – that CULT!!! The only way I benefited is that that miserable experience at least built some character, as any negative experience will do.

Congratulations on getting your college degree! I think that’s what John Cedar’s goal is for all individuals leaving this Brain Sucking Cult. I know Elders in Kingdom Halls who are so depressed, are suffering Chest Pains plus their living a loveless marriage because this Religion is a total DRANO. You don’t have to explain why you were depressed, this came with the territory of being lied to and realizing the Organization knew had no insights in to God’s Plan whether you believe in Him or not, the Watchtower does not represent anything Spiritual!

Its great to see people like you getting your degree plus moving on in Life, very cool indeed!

Picture this, It was 1968 and I was a 16 year old ministerial servant and conducting the book study in the Babylon The Great Has Fallen book. I have to tell you, I did not know what I was doing, I did not understand the material, I do not think anyone in the study really had a clear picture of the material. It was, ask a question and get an answer from the paragraph. Fast forward to 2016 and the same is true today. Nobody really understands the writings of Revelation, there are those who would like you to believe that they do, but sad to say the opposite is true. Since I am moving on, my reading of books is very wide in range, from David Baldacci to John Grisham, very good books, fiction of course. As it turns out think about all of the books printed by the organization that turned out to be fiction, but the difference between those and very good novelists of today, David Baldacci wins hands down!

@APM
Excellent choice of books and I’m afraid I have to agree with you hands down. Baldacci’s Camel Club series are a good place to start if others have never read his stuff. I imagine that he researches his fiction better than the WTS research their supposed fact!

1968-69 Only book that comes to mind is the “Truth” book. But I see few are willing to talk about it. Worse event for me was when I went on Google maps to see what happened to the KH I helped build as a kid hand in hand with one of the the anointed. Those were my childhood memories that i tried to look back at. Didn’t care for what I found. The KH was sold to another church.

One KH in the UK was sold to the International Society for Krishna Consciousness and it is now a Temple. Most people will remember them as orange clad, shaved head individuals chanting Hare Krishna in the streets.

They’re not allowed to sell their buildings to whomever they wish?
Why?
Also, you assume that it was sold directly to another church. Is it possible they sold it to someone who in turn sold it to said church?

Yes, when I was 13 years old they gave me the “Red Book” plus “The Two Babylons” by Hissops as my Study Aids because their books lacked any real meat. One of my favorite scenes before leaving this Cult was stopping by the local Park and seeing a fly-by-night Pioneer studying the “Revelation Book” with a Bible Study who could barely read at the fifth grade level. As you can imagine his Bible Study was a total failure, the PO took over and in four months this man got Baptized only to get DF’ed One Year Later.

Someone like this Bible Student should be allowed to have his Baptism Revoked because everything in the entire process of getting him as a convert were total failures and grossly incompetent. JWs are not the best teachers or able to gauge what level their Bible Studies are and that reflects by how little they know about both the Hebrew and Greek Bible.

Hee hee a witness posted on fb a quote from George Orwell “The more society drifts from the truth, the more it will hate those who speak it’ – it was signed George Orwell.

Being a brat I posted underneath
“A totalitarian state is in effect a theocracy, and its ruling caste, in order to keep its position, has to be thought of as infallible. But since, in practice, no one is infallible, it is frequently necessary to rearrange past events in order to show that this or that mistake was not made, or that this or that imaginary triumph actually happened.” – George Orwell.

Her comment was that she didn’t understand it…. I said ‘oh I thought you like George Orwell?’ She said ‘who is he…..’ I said you just quoted from him.. he wrote a heap of best selling books… he is famous…. she said she had never heard of him and just like the quote.

My point here is that jw’s mindlessly repeat things they have read but really have no comprehension as to where or whom they come from. They allow the society to do the research for them and believe anything that comes out of the Borg.

No she did the normal school thing. Wasn’t brought up a Witness. I’ve even heard some say that they don’t read books now because most are not WT endorsed. My book shelves are def. not WT endorsed. Sci fi, Greek and Roman Mythology, Poetry, Fantasy, Classical, Shakespeare….. I think I have all the genre apart from romance lol.

Your reference to George Orwell made me think of a couple scriptures you might get a kick out of. Proverbs 14:17b, “but the man of thinking abilities is hated” and also Galatians 4:16, “Well then have I become your enemy because I tell you the truth?”. In a word, yes. Regards

@ Bad Penny
Well said. While they refer to those who leave the org as “mentally diseased,” they ignore the scriptural teaching: “For with the judgment you use, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you. Why do you look at the speck in your brother’s eye but don’t notice the log in your own eye?”

Is it any wonder the Borg. do not want the minions to go to Uni. They might become free thinkers, read books, look to the internet for information…. Lets keep em dumb because that way we control their intellect. even having a fb account is frowned upon because heaven forbid they see something intelligent on it.

‘But wait… yes you may have an ipad as long as you keep it clean and free from outside influence. Only download WT approved apps. remember your ipad comes into a KH. Would you dishonor your creator by bringing a porn mag to the meetings… relinquish your mind to those who want to keep it pure and free from the world’.

Haha I’ve seen so many checking their fb accounts or hockey scores during meetings.

You were all up in my head when you wrote this question in you article today. “If the material published by the ‘faithful slave’ is really new light from Jehovah, how is it so quickly deemed obsolete?” I don’t think that a day go by that I don’t ask myself this question in some form. My mom, who lives with me, is so dedicated and she doesn’t want to know this stuff. I just want to shake her and say “Wake UP”! Instead, if she or my mother in law need a ride on Sundays,I will take them and pick them up. She has been telling me to just let the elders speak to you, and they will explain the disfellowshipping practice to you better. I’m 47 this doctrine has bothered me since I was 12, so I joined the Marine Corps at 18. It just wouldn’t stick. It didn’t seem loving. Now every time I turn around, there is new light. I try and be slick and play different You tube videos of people who are awaken and she try to act like she don’t hear it, but I think that she does.
I think that she feels that at 75, she is to old to be trying to find a different way to be “resurrected”. Yet at the same time, I don’t want her to be like me, constantly protecting my “Brain” from any further intrusions of False Prophets! It’s hard for me to trust anybody that comes in the name of anything except just plain GOD.
I know that there is a Creator and I pray that he knows my heart is good. So I live a good life, giving of my time, resources and love.

@michele
In reply to your comment:
“I know that there is a Creator and I pray that he knows my heart is good. So I live a good life, giving of my time, resources and love.”

You have got it more figured out than many so-called “religious” folks. If we all just did our best to live a good life and to treat others with respect and dignity the world would be a much better place.

michele Gilchrist, I relate to you. I’m very close to my sister. Life is all about making choices. There is only so much we can do to wake up people. Continue to be a loving son to your mother. A parent’s love shouldn’t have to be conditional. That’s what makes what the society does to people’s minds so bad. The rules the society makes up takes away the right of it’s members to show natural affection for family members. It doesn’t make sense when they do associate with worldly family. I feel Jws use religion like a crutch. That’s why they are so brain washed. I’m glad the society keeps changing their beliefs through ‘new light’ even my sister is grumbling, that’s good.

Michele,
Your last paragraph is the most beautiful that I have read here in a long time. That is true love, giving without any thought of return or condition. Shunning family members or anyone for that matter a ‘loving arrangement’? If the GB, WTS leaders, and elders would ever really want a ‘loving arrangement’ for their flock, then they would practice the type of love that you have described: Unconditional love and the love that comes from within to give to others.

Not to get too religious here, since I’m not a religious but spiritual person. Christ himself said that only two rules count. 1) Love God. 2) Love your fellow human as you love yourself. That’s what you described. If only the GB could actually heed these simple rules of love, then that whole organization would change. (I wouldn’t hold my breath!) I saw a billboard the other day that said, ‘Those that we think we should love the least, need our love the most.’ If only the JW’s would practice that kind of love instead of shunning. I believe it was written, ‘you will know them by the fruits they bear.” For the WTS, it’s hurt, fear, and hate. Not what I would think of as the sole chosen organization headed by Christ himself since 1918.

Try to do your best by showing your mom and in-laws as much of unconditional love as possible. That you will love them no matter what. Also, READ “Combating Cult Mind Control” by Steven Hassan. He has a lot of tips on how to get a loved one away from a mind-control cult like the JW’s.

Combatting Cult Mind Control is a great read. Another book by Hassan is called Freedom of Mind and gets into some of the practical ways to get past the cult personality and reach out to the authentic self.

I visited family over the holidays for the first time in 3 years. I was welcomed with open arms. We went to dinner and talked about all the old friends at the Kingdom Hall, more than half of which were my Bible studies or my wife’s studies. My mother lamented how such a large number of the people at the hall came in as a result of my efforts and my strong desire for my wife to pioneer.

I look back at the ideology presented in all of the old publications and the way that I brought so many people to be JWs and could not help but think, how was that possible? See what you think.

1. I have and always will be a person that wants to leave the world better than I found it. I believe this is true of a lot of people who write articles here and who comment here. I also believe that was the goal of our forefathers who struggled so that we enjoy the incredible conveniences we take for granted today.

2. I sincerely thought I was saving lives. Again I believe that is true of most of us.

I realized what is so well pointed out, the publications had little to do with people becoming JWs. It is the appeal of the genuine concern of the one conducting the study. The call of a voice of the one who sees a higher calling in life even if misdirected.

I am confident that Watchtower will go on because of the sincere, misled people who follow their lies. Yes there is a toll exacted from all who follow, but it will continue until something more appealing arises from a better fiction writer. Whether we like it or not, the fact that we want to survive and live on, which is the reason for our existence, makes us an easy target for those who lie about the end of our lives. Make no mistake, I do not agree with nor justify their lies, but must admit it holds a huge power that can cause people, including myself, for many years to ignore the obvious. Watchtower is a scrapheap.

“…it will continue until something better arises from a better fiction writer.”
What these lost souls, & many like them, refuse to realize, is that Reality is stranger, more intriguing, & more purposeful than Fiction.

I want to thank all of the good positive commenters on here, and all of the fine article writers, it has been my privilege to read and comment on this website for the past several years. I truly appreciate all that are striving to make things better for everyone and to assist anyone who leaves Watchtower. I can only say thanks and wish the very best for all.

My focus now has changed, I have been invited by one of the Board members of the American Medical Association to help write an outline that will be given during the 2016 international TED convention. Her story is an inspiring human story of a brilliant bench scientist that became a doctor, only to wind up behind the bandage herself. She suffered the worst possible trauma that any person could imagine and in her recovery contracted what could only be termed as a horrible flesh eating ground mold. The beauty of this woman is her resilience and compassion. Her compassion turned into a passion that is saving and improving the quality of thousands of lives right now.

In helping her write the story that TED has now asked her to share with the world, I had a personal awakening. This little woman took on the medical establishment, by showing everyone a better way. She is a bright and happy person that is always positive. Since I have got to know her, I am far less negative in my outlook on the world and every day is a little brighter than the one before. I now realize that I can make a change for the better, by focusing on what is best for my 2 children.

I have been gone from the JW faith now for 5 years. My children who are now 9 and 11 have no desire to be Witnesses and it is time that I move on and not relive the pain of the past for them. They need to see the brightness in their future and focus on the ways to have a full and happy life.

I wish everyone the very best. This is a great place to talk with other people and realize that you are going to be OK.

@ Loyd

I hope you find peace in your journey and thank you for giving us a place on the web to come together and help each other heal and regain our sanity. I will always be grateful. If you ever need anything you have my email.

Hi I have to say I agree with the posts here however I am struggling to leave the organisation which I have known for years baptised for 7 everyone I know is a JW! I know people who are depressed because they have disfellowshipped family members, missionaries who’s lives have been turned around because of organisational changes they have nothing they are sad and unhappy as am I.

After 32 years as a J.W. and serving as an elder and going through all of the hoops the society lays out, I decided to make a change in my life and left the J.W. organization; after the meeting with the judicial committee and not responding to their recommendations, I was walked to the door and locked out of the K.H. The moment of walking out, I felt a freedom even though battling the doctrines for the next few years, I finally arrived at at this point: Never allow others to make your decisions about connection to Spirit. Between you and Divine alone, no one else.

Exactly, Keith. God does not dwell in buildings or answer to publishing companies. Jesus tought the way, not the religion to follow him. The only thing similar to religion I have is a sincere effort to do what Christ, not the Watchtower asks of me. Those last few years as an elder were like a loud desperate voice yelling behind me ” Get out from amongst them, lest you be judged too!”

Come to think of it, I challenge anyone to show where it is written in ANY “holy book” that special buildings must be built, regular meetings held, systematic rituals & rites of worship followed, i.e. “religion”, or at least “organized religion”.

Nope, Christ replaced all that. The only thing that comes close is Pauls exhortation in Hebrews 10 which only asks to meet with the purpose of encouraging each other in Christ. No programs, no ushers, no spiritual plantation overseers, no judges, no hypocrites, no dogma, no pedophilia, no quotas, no cliques, no dress code, just freedom from all of this pharisaical nonsense courtesy of God through Christ our savior.

Keith – Congrats on leaving JW Dom.
I too was in for 30 years. Isn’t it amazing that after all those years in service, and you as an elder, all they could do was lock you out!
It beggars belief!
That wonderful feeling when you do finally walk away; that weight just lifted off your shoulders.
Suddenly you really know what was meant by Jesus’ words, ‘Take my yoke upon you, it is kindly and light’. Throwing the burden of JW Dom away is the best thing anyone can do.

I went to the kingdom hall with my sister tonight. It was interesting. They started the meeting with a video about the book of Ezra explaining how it was originally written on two scrolls. The elder gave counceling the same way they used to do for talks. He gave counceling for the brother’s five minute talk and he gave counceling for the sisters who did the part on how to conduct a bible study. I’m wondering if they’re doing that at all the kingdom halls. I haven’t been in a long time so it was interesting. It was fun seeing my old friends.

The books that have been printed by the Watchtower Society and studied at meetings, with questions provided by the Watchtower Society to each paragraph. The conductors of these study sessions make sure the answers are correct to each Watchtower paragraph. As years go by and study material is deleted as outdated. One can ask was it ever up to date? Even Russel was known to comment Truth is never out dated, it remains.
The presumptuous ideas of men become outdated and blown away. There is a fine line between being presumptuous and lying, both undermine confidence.

Jose’ Cedars has a good reply to your comment and it goes like this: If a person sees that your house is on fire and gets burned down and gets you out of your house so you don’t get burned to death, does that mean that the person who rescued you has the responsibility to provide you with a new house?

So Many Books , and still Jehovah Witnesses refuse to teach God’s name more correctly , showing that they really don’t appreciate it in its form that is more representative of correctness . They only appreciate a way of pronunciation ‘ clearly ‘ known to be in error .

Going through some recently acquired scans of old WT & GA magazines, I came across this gem from the 22nd July 2002 Awake, page 32.
It is an article promoting the “Knowledge” book under the title of “Televised Debate On Jehovah’s Witnesses” and explains how a professor assigned to study the JWs defended their beliefs using the aforementioned book in his debate against a politician who was against the JWs.
Anyway, my question is this: as the WTS (or the 7 men in the GB) forbid us to watch anything like this on TV or the Internet, how come they can do so and even publish the fact that they do in their literature? Ahhh, THAT’S one of the reasons they don’t want us to have access to the old stuff so we can’t point their hypocrisy out to them!
Thought it would be good to reference this article if any self-righteous (or poor deluded) JW criticises you for watching such debates or news items on the TV/Internet. Just show them this article and say if it’s OK for the GB to do so and reference it in their magazines then it’s OK for you too – just following their lead! 😉

Another one I’ve just come across, and this is priceless. From the 22nd December 1979 Awake about readers’ responses to the article about “discos”. One reader stated:
“Thank you so much for bringing out its origins and how it is involved with the ‘gay’ population. It really is something we young people need to stay away from. I am trying to readjust my thinking on it and realize how much Jehovah dislikes it.”
The Awake writers mention: “Young ones and old alike said that they appreciated being alerted to the potential dangers of frequenting discos and seeing disco movies
such as “Saturday Night Fever.”
Oh crap! So now I know God hates both my music collection AND my choice in films! Do you think he’s mad that I’ve seen “Footloose” several times too???!

In their favour though, at least they quote some readers who didn’t agree with their views on disco (although they were slated as not having the correct perspective on the matter):
““I am a born again Christian,” wrote one. “I do not feel discos are as bad as you make them sound!” Another wrote: “Disco dancing, music and going out disco hopping from one place to another can be good clean fun
and nothing like the garbage that was printed in Awake!”
Still another said: “I just finished reading your magazine on discos, and I think the things you say are . . . very judgemental. You say discos mean sex, fornication,
abuse—you’re crazy! Discos have good atmospheres.”